KC grandfather of 6 started skydiving to honor his sister. He died in plane crash
Michael Shanahan began skydiving in 2016 after his sister Nikki Minick died of breast cancer. Gloria Shanahan, Michael’s mother, said he was inspired by his sister’s fight to live to make the most of his life.
“Michael saw her working so hard to survive that he decided then to enjoy life,” Gloria said in a phone interview with The Star. “That’s when he started skydiving.”
Michael, 54, was one of the 12 people who died in the plane crash in Butler, Missouri, over the weekend, only a year before he planned to retire from working as a sheet metal professional for decades.
The crash occurred while the plane was taking off from Butler Memorial Airport around 11:27 a.m. Sunday. Local, state and federal officials are investigating what caused the crash.
Authorities have not officially released the names of victims. But the names of those identified through tributes by family members, friends and others on social media so far include Jen Sharp, an internationally recognized skydiver and instructor, Marcus Miller, Matthew Cole Swope, Michael Shanahan, Dustin McKinney, Dane Cordes, Nick Nash, William Fischer, Blake Thacker and David Hershberger.
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for Michael’s son Matthew Shanahan noted that Michael was on his way to his 23rd tandem jump.
Skydiving was not only a hobby for Michael, but also a connection to his beloved sister, an example of his commitment to his family. He planned to honor the 10-year anniversary of Nikki’s death later this summer.
Gloria said he planned to skydive on Aug. 11 in California, where hundreds of women once jumped to raise money for breast cancer research.
“It was just important for him to do,” Gloria said, noting Michael often made a point to honor his sister. “Every special day, he would make it a point to make it to her grave.”
Michael was a devoted son, father and grandfather. Gloria said her “incredible” son was very close with his father Bill, and he made his son Matthew’s family his whole world.
Michael’s only child, Matthew Shanahan, and his wife Anesa Shanahan, have six children who could always count on their grandfather to attend their many events.
“He tried to get to every game that he could,” Gloria said. “Sometimes there were five kids playing at the same time.”
Michael had lived in Kansas City since he moved from Virginia with his family when he was just 3 years old. He was a sheet metal worker for decades and a member of the local union.
Gloria said Michael was an extremely hard worker, always ready to work in hot or cold weather. She said years of manual labor like that was hard on his body, and he was counting down the days to his 55th birthday next May when he planned to retire.
Michael also had a good sense of humor and many friends, Gloria said. The outpouring of love and support toward Michael’s family is showing her that many people knew and loved him, she said.
Brand Carney, who started the GoFundMe page, wrote that Michael was always caring and generous.
“I’ve watched this man give what he didn’t have to help others and I’ve watched him love harder than most,” Brandon Carney wrote. “The world lost an amazing man yesterday.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 4:25 PM.
